Harry Potter and the Golden Amulet
by ShellyK
Summary: Voldemort has been defeated and exiled to a Hell dimension, finally bringing harmony to the wizarding world. But one of the Dark Lord’s loyal followers will do everything in his power to rescue his Master from his hellish prison.
1. The Prophecy

Harry Potter and the Golden Amulet  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I mean it. So please don't sue me.  
  
Summary:  
  
Voldemort has been defeated and exiled to a Hell dimension, finally bringing harmony to the wizarding world. But one of the Dark Lord's loyal followers will do everything in his power to rescue his Master from his hellish prison, threatening the fragile peace so recently acquired. This takes place six years after Hogwarts. Some R/Hr, D/G, H/?.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The Prophecy  
  
He stood in the dark, wearing his best dress robes. The luxurious blood red velvet pooled around him, enveloping him so that only his face and hands remained uncovered by the fabric. It was an indulgence. One of the only indulgences he could permit himself. The man crossed the lavish hotel room to the balcony doors. He dared not touch anything with out the protection of his gloves for fear of being contaminated so with gloved hands, he grasped the knobs and flung open the French doors, which caused a waft of air to caress his pale face.  
  
Stepping onto the balcony, he surveyed the sight before him and his anger simmered inside. Most would love the sight of Paris at night with its lights and the Eiffel tower standing proudly for all to admire. However, he did not love what he saw. To him, everything, which fell under his gaze, merely reminded him that he could not go home. Not yet. Soon, but not yet. He will return home and he will make them pay. Make him pay. Suddenly, he shook the thought away. 'One must not dwell on the past in times such as these,' he thought. 'I must conserve my energies for my Master. I must free him.'  
  
Looking down to the street he spied dozens, if not hundreds, of Muggles all of whom were oblivious to anything but themselves. Muggles. The thought of Muggles alone was enough to send him in a frenzied panic. He hated them and yet, he had no choice but to live among them. It was the only way he could remain free to rescue his Master. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to ensure the return of the Dark Lord and he knew that his sacrifice would be well rewarded.  
  
The man left the balcony. He picked up a piece of parchment upon entering the room and examined it carefully. There had to be a way. It must be possible to open the Threshold, the door to the Hell dimension, which held his Master. They had sent him there after all. It had been open at one point. But how will he achieve this? How is it possible? He threw the parchment into the fireplace in frustration. He was close. He could feel it.  
  
Suddenly very tired, he sat down on a large chair in front of the fire and stared at the flames, hoping the dancing light would inspire him. But all he could think of was the night his Master was exiled. It was Potter's fault. Potter and those little Weasels and the Mudblood and.. He couldn't even bring himself to think his name, yet alone speak it. It was their fault. 'They'd rendered my Master powerless.' He still wasn't sure exactly how they had managed to rid his Master of his powers but it happened. It was only in this state that the Ministry would have been able to exile him to his prison, to the Hell dimension.  
  
Already six years had past and still, his Master has not been rescued. He knew that with everyday that past, his Master's wrath would grow. And he would be forced to live with Muggle filth. This never should have happened. His Master should be here, with himself standing faithfully at his side, wreaking havoc on the Muggles and the Mudbloods. His Master should be here, more powerful than ever! "Arghhh!" In a fit of rage, he grabbed the small table, which stood beside his chair, and hurled to the wall with great vengeance, causing it to explode into many wooden pieces.  
  
As dust settled around him, he took a deep breath, to steady his emotions, and began ridding his robes of dust. Diligently, he returned his robes to their original, spotless state when he heard a knock at his door. He knew who it would be. "Come in, Crabbe," he said evenly.  
  
"Sir, the goblins have found it."  
  
"What?" The man in the blood red robes asked loudly. His voice boomed and Crabbe recoiled in fear. He smiled. Could it be? Could he have found a way to free his Master? "What have they found?"  
  
"A prophecy, sir. About the Dark Lord," Crabbe continued, if somewhat cowed. He began recounting the prophecy, which the goblins had found. With every word, the man in the blood red robes smiled.  
  
Only once Crabbe finished telling him of the prophecy did the man speak. "Crabbe, assemble the Death Eaters. Our Master will be freed shortly and we must prepare the way for him."  
  
Crabbe nodded and before he left the room, he replied, "Yes sir."  
  
The time was coming near. Lord Voldemort will return. And he, Lucius Malfoy, will be the one to free him.  
  
***  
  
A/N: So, what do you think so far? I know that the rating is a tad high for this chapter but trust me, I'll need it later. Please review. Flames accepted but not necessarily welcomed :) More chapters to come. 


	2. The Aurors

Harry Potter and the Golden Amulet  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I mean it. So please don't sue me.  
  
Summary:  
  
Voldemort has been defeated and exiled to a Hell dimension, finally bringing harmony to the wizarding world. But one of the Dark Lord's loyal followers will do everything in his power to rescue his Master from his hellish prison, threatening the fragile peace so recently acquired. This takes place six years after Hogwarts. Some R/Hr, D/G, H/?.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The Aurors  
  
Crossing the locker room, Harry Potter despairingly stripped himself of his ruined robes before stopping at his own cabinet. He was exhausted. With a great deal of effort, he opened the cabinet door and tossed in his robes, which landed in a jumbled heap on the cabinet's floor. Methodically, he removed soiled pieces of clothing, throwing them on top of the robes and only stopping once he had reached his boxer shorts. He sighed. It shouldn't be this hard.  
  
Harry became an Auror just before Voldemort's final defeat, after which he was exiled to a hell dimension and peace enveloped the wizarding world. Since then, the Aurors didn't have much to do. Oh, they had to catch the occasional wizard who fancied himself Voldemort's successor but they had proven quite easy to capture. Only one truly dark wizard had eluded capture, Lucius Malfoy, but he needn't worry about him. Malfoy was someone else's pet project and had been told specifically not to interfere. Other than Malfoy, it had been fairly quiet for the Aurors. That is, until recently.  
  
Attacks on muggles and muggle-born wizards and witches were rising at an alarming rate. And whoever was behind the attacks always seemed one step ahead of the Aurors. They had no idea who was ordering these strikes; no clues were left behind and no one group was taking responsibility. Harry suspected Death Eaters were involved but he had no proof, just intuition. And his intuition was screaming.  
  
Wearily, he sat on the bench in front of his cabinet and buried his head in his hands. Today had been particularly dreadful. He'd arrived at the home of a muggle-born wizard and found a horrendous sight. The man looked like he had been hexed with some sort of flesh-eating disease and the Aurors had been called in since traces of Dark Magic were detected. The case was now theirs, though there wasn't much of a case at all. Other than the traces of Dark Magic, there wasn't much else by the way of evidence. He had spent most of last night and this morning combing the wizard's home for clues but to no avail. Finally, he had to cast protection spells around the home in order to restrict the comings and goings. Only Aurors were authorized to enter the crime scene.  
  
Now, he was back at the Ministry. He put off writing his reports until tomorrow. At the moment, he was just too tired.  
  
"Come on, Potter. I thought this is what you lived for! You know, getting the bad guys," Draco Malfoy said, snapping Harry back to reality.  
  
"Sod off, Malfoy."  
  
Harry hadn't even noticed him entering the locker room. He glared at Malfoy, who was leaning on one of the cabinets. By the look of his soiled robes, Harry concluded that Malfoy had just arrived from the field. It still surprised Harry that Malfoy was one of them, an Auror. But he was. And a very good one at that. Harry could not bring himself to actually consider Malfoy to be a friend but he did respect him. It took guts to stand up to Lucius and refuse to become a Death Eater. He joined the Aurors soon after graduation from Hogwarts and was very instrumental in defeating Voldemort. Harry even believed that they could not have succeeded without Malfoy, though he would never admit that out loud.  
  
"Oh come on, now. Aren't you everyone's favourite hero?"  
  
Malfoy was dancing on Harry's last nerve. Thankfully, Ginny Weasley entered the locker area and made he way to her own cabinet, effectively distracting Malfoy. Harry tried to hide his grin. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to look that Malfoy had a thing for Ginny. He definitely didn't make it a secret even though Ginny rebuffed all of his advances.  
  
"Hey there, Fireball," Malfoy greeted Ginny with a sly smile as she reached into her cabinet for a towel.  
  
She slammed her cabinet door shut and faced Draco, annoyed. "Don't call me that."  
  
"Why not? You are a fireball, especially when you get angry. Your cheeks become flushed…just like they are now!"  
  
He was right. Ginny's cheeks had become almost as red as her bright, flaming red hair. She took a deep breath. 'To steady her temper,' Harry guessed. "Fuck off, Malfoy."  
  
He stepped closer to her and leaned into her. "You know, I like it when a woman talks dirty to me," he whispered only loud enough for her to hear, making her blush furiously.  
  
Harry hadn't heard what Malfoy had said to Ginny but judging by the smug look on his face and the blush on her cheeks, he must have said something suggestive. Though Ginny made it a point to reject Malfoy at every turn, Harry suspected she rather liked his attentions. Harry gave an involuntary shiver as the thought of Malfoy and Ginny crossed his head. 'Yuck,' he thought. She was practically his sister. It's not that he didn't find her attractive but, with Ginny, there seem to lack that certain spark. A spark she seemed to have found with Malfoy. She was just too stubborn to admit it. Harry thought she must have acquired that trait from Ron.  
  
Harry shifted his attention back to Ginny and Malfoy. He was still blocking her way.  
  
"Malfoy, move. I need to take a shower," she ordered. Harry could have sworn he heard Ginny mumble "a cold one". Draco opened his mouth to say something else but Ginny cut him off. "And, no, you cannot join me," she warned, making sure he saw she had her wand with her. She would not hesitate to curse him and Malfoy knew it so he just smirked as she walked past him to the women's shower room.  
  
Once she was out of earshot, he turned to Harry. "That woman loves me." Harry sniggered and reached for his own towel.  
  
***  
  
Harry sat in a booth at the Three Broomsticks, nursing a butterbeer, deep in thought. His mind kept replaying the sight he had seen at the muggle- born wizard's house. A flash of red brought him out of his trance. It was Ginny. Slipping in the seat in front of him, she ordered a drink for herself.  
  
"I see you've escaped your fan-club," Harry teased.  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes only then her gaze froze. Harry looked back and noticed Malfoy walking through the door. "It's not enough that I see him eight hours a day, being partners and all, but now he has to follow me on my off hours!"  
  
Malfoy made his way to their table and plopped himself down on the seat, next to Ginny. She crossed her arms in a huff, her cheeks becoming red with annoyance, much to Malfoy's obvious pleasure. Harry shook his head. "So, Potter, where's your boyfriend?" Malfoy asked. Harry didn't care to dignify that remark with answer.  
  
"WHAT?" A loud screeching caught their attention. It was Ron. And to no one's surprise, Hermione was with him. Hermione and Ron's rows have been legendary, especially since the infamous Yule ball in fourth year. As both walked over to the booth, Harry was able to catch a few snippets of Ron and Hermione's conversation. "What do you mean, you've requested active duty?" Ron asked Hermione.  
  
She turned to him in a very calm manner, which meant she was actually rather angry. It seemed the angrier Hermione became, the calmer she seemed. "Just as I said, Ron. I have requested active duty. I'm an Auror not just a researcher."  
  
"But…but…you're the best researcher we have!" Ron tried to convince Hermione but she would have none of it.  
  
"Ron, the Ministry has plenty of researchers. Anyway, I don't know why you're going on about it. It's a done deal. Mr. Appleberry has already approved my request," Hermione informed him. "Hi guys," she greeted once she had reached the table. She frowned when her eyes rested upon Malfoy. "Malfoy," she said, her voice cold.  
  
"Mudb—Granger," he replied, catching himself before the slur slipped.  
  
Ron and Hermione sat beside Harry. "So what's this about requesting active duty?" Harry asked.  
  
Smiling, Hermione began explaining her reasons behind her request. Even though she enjoyed researching, being engulfed with parchments and books, she found that she missed being in the thick of things. "And, even with being in the field, I can still read and research," she reasoned. Hermione saw that Ron still wasn't convinced. "Look Ron. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."  
  
"I never said you couldn't," he replied indignantly.  
  
"No, but you were thinking it!"  
  
"Oh, and now you're an expert on what I'm thinking!"  
  
"Of course I am. It's not like you do much of it. Thinking I mean."  
  
Harry coughed before Ron could respond. It was best to nip this in the bud, especially since they were in public, not that it ever stopped them before. People had already started to turn in their direction. Thankfully, Ron decided not to answer her but began brooding in his corner, effectively ignoring Hermione. Harry didn't know which was worse, when they fought or when they ignored each other.  
  
"As I was saying before Ron's little outburst," she began. Ron almost said something but stopped himself at the last minute, remembering that he was ignoring her. "Mr. Appleberry has approved my request to return to active duty as an Auror. He also wanted me to find all of you to tell you that there would be a meeting tomorrow morning. Seven o'clock sharp. He wants all of us to be there, even Malfoy."  
  
"Why didn't he tell us himself?" Malfoy asked.  
  
"You had already left."  
  
"Well," Harry began, "if we must be there that early, I suggest we call it a night." They all agreed and left the Three Broomsticks. 


	3. Decisions

Harry Potter and the Golden Amulet  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I mean it. So please don't sue me.  
  
Summary:  
  
Voldemort has been defeated and exiled to a Hell dimension, finally bringing harmony to the wizarding world. But one of the Dark Lord's loyal followers will do everything in his power to rescue his Master from his hellish prison, threatening the fragile peace so recently acquired. This takes place six years after Hogwarts. Some R/Hr, D/G, H/?.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Decisions  
  
Walking into the meeting room, Harry noticed he was not the first to arrive; Hermione and Ginny were already seated and were chatting away, trying to speculate as to the reason behind this conference. He wasn't surprised Ron had not yet arrived.  
  
"So, have you lot figured out why we're here?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione shook her head in the negative. "We've no idea. No one around here will tell us anything," she replied before looking at her watch, which pointed at 'Almost time to begin'. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."  
  
"I wonder where Ron and Draco are," Ginny mused. Both Hermione and Harry noticed she had called Malfoy by his first name and they exchanged a knowing look. Ginny and Malfoy had been partners for over two years and she always made it a point to only refer to him as 'Malfoy'. "Doing otherwise," she had said, "bred familiarity." According to Ginny, she didn't want to become too familiar with him, especially since Malfoy seemed to have taken a liking to her, despite her being a Weasley. But now that Ginny and Malfoy were on a first name basis, it was just a matter of time until he broke down her defences.  
  
"Well you know Ron. He's never on time for anything," Hermione criticized, bringing Harry back to reality.  
  
"Humph!" Ron entered the room and looked quite put out. "Will someone please tell Her Majesty Know-it-all that I'm NOT always late? I happen to be on time today!"  
  
"There's a first time for everything," Hermione huffed, annoyed at being called a know-it-all.  
  
"Excuse me? Did someone hear something? I thought I heard a squawk." Ron cupped his ear as if he was trying hard to hear something that wasn't there. Harry shook his head. This wasn't how he liked to begin his day. He couldn't believe that after all they had been through, Hermione and Ron still insisted on arguing every little thing.  
  
"Squawking?" Hermione exclaimed incredulously. "Are you comparing me to a HEN?"  
  
"If the feather fits…."  
  
"IF you two are finished," a voice interrupted. "I would like to begin." All four turned in the direction of the voice and recognised the owner immediately. Her name was Samantha Donovan and she had graduated from Hogwarts the same year as Fred and George Weasley. She was also a Slitheryn, which didn't sit well with the former Griffindors in the room.  
  
As she crossed the room, Harry noticed how attractive she was and wondered how he had never noticed before now. He supposed it was because of the intense rivalry between the Griffindor and Slitheryn houses; at Hogwarts, he never would have let himself become attracted to one of the enemy. But his Hogwarts days were long gone and this was the 'real' world.  
  
Harry watched Samantha as she positioned herself at the head of the conference table and began emptying out the contents of her leather attaché case onto the table before her. Like the rest of her attire, her case was black. It must be her favourite colour because it was all she wore. Her shoes, slacks and form fitting wool turtleneck were all black and, not surprisingly, so was her hair. Her long, silky mane was tied neatly at the nape and spilled down into a tamed ponytail. The only splash of colour one could find on Samantha would be her eyes. They were a piercing shade of cobalt blue. Her eyes searched the room and Harry shivered when her cobalt blues rested upon him.  
  
"Where is Mr. Malfoy?" she asked sharply. For a second, Samantha reminded him of Professor McGonagall.  
  
Harry began answering but was interrupted when Malfoy entered the room. "Don't get your knickers in a bunch, Sammie. I'm here," he said. Harry thought he saw a glimmer of amusement shine in her eyes but the flash was gone so quickly, he was sure he had imagined it.  
  
"Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence, Malfoy," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"My pleasure," he replied.  
  
She faced the rest of the room and introduced herself. "I'm sure you are all wondering why you've been asked here this morning," she began. "As you all know, there has been an disturbing increase in attacks on muggles and muggle-born wizards. We have received new intelligence revealing the source of these attacks," she informed them and then pointedly looked at Malfoy.  
  
"My father," he said quietly. It was more of a statement than a question. Samantha nodded.  
  
"We believe he will try to find a way to retrieve Voldemort from the hell dimension."  
  
"How do you know this?" Ron asked. "We've no evidence of Lucius' involvement."  
  
"We have our sources," Samantha said simply.  
  
"What kind of sources?" He was suspicious.  
  
"Sources which do not concern you," she replied, clearly annoyed with Ron.  
  
Before Ron could get himself into trouble, Harry spoke. "What does that have to do with us?"  
  
"The Ministry has decided to create a task force whose specific responsibility would be to track down Lucius and his cronies."  
  
"I thought you were the one appointed with the task of finding Lucius," Malfoy said.  
  
"I was," she replied bitterly. "The Ministry, in its infinite wisdom," she continued angrily, "is of the opinion that the mission has become too great for one person only. I have been assigned the charge of training you lot to become Schola Aurors."  
  
"Schola Aurors?" Hermione asked. "I thought they were only a myth." So did Harry.  
  
"I assure you, Ms Granger, they are not."  
  
Since his Auror training, Harry had heard whispers and rumours concerning the Schola Aurors. According to the scuttlebutt around the Ministry, the Schola Aurors were well versed in many forms of Dark Magic and used these in order to obtain intelligence and carry out captures, which would be impossible through legal means. He had also heard they had a licence to wield the Unforgivable Curses.  
  
"So what you're saying is that the rumours are true?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Not all the rumours. Contrary to popular belief, we are not 'licensed' to use the Unforgivable Curses. We may use them and the authorities will look the other way. However, if the public ever discovered the use of the curses, we would be officially disavowed. The Ministry wants no loose ends." They shifted uncomfortably in their seats.  
  
"I will not lie to you. The Schola Aurors tread a very fine line between what is legal and what is not. More oft than naught, you will have to bend the rules to suit the specific situation but the rules can only bend so far. Occasionally, you will be obliged to break them. It is during those time you will be the most vulnerable. Once you cross the line, you will be on your own. The Ministry will save its own neck before yours but I assure you, that the risk is worth the rewards. Schola Aurors, ensure order by capturing wizards who pose a clear threat to the muggle and wizarding worlds. Without us, many innocent people would die," she said.  
  
"Of course, you have the option to refuse this invitation. It is strictly on a volunteer basis."  
  
Harry looked about the room. It was obvious Samantha's admission began sinking in. Could he 'cross the line'? What if he did? There's a chance he would be sent to Azkaban. But, by being a Schola Auror, he could put Lucius away. He could do some good.  
  
After a few minutes of silence, Malfoy spoke up. "I'm in, Samantha," he said smiling. "Seems right up my alley, being a Slitheryn and all."  
  
Samantha nodded and turned to the others. "Well? What of you four?" No one answered. "Now, I know you Griffindors are so fond of your precious rules," Samantha goaded, causing Malfoy to snigger. She shot him a cold and piercing glance and Malfoy immediately quieted. "Why not live on the edge?" she asked. Samantha leaned on the wall and crossed her arms across her chest, waiting for an answer. "No? Alright then." She began putting away the documents she had placed on the table. Once she was done, she turned to leave.  
  
"Wait," Harry called out, stopping her dead in her tracks. Samantha faced him. "I'll do it," he said. She acquiesced.  
  
"Right then. I gather I'm in as well," Ron said. He shrugged and looked at Harry. "What have I got to loose?"  
  
"Ladies?" Samantha asked.  
  
"I did just request active duty. You can't get more active than this. I'm in as well," Hermione replied. Ginny was the only one left.  
  
"Well, who am I to break a Griffindor trend? Count me in."  
  
"Brilliant," Samantha said and Harry noticed a small smile grace her lips. "You have fifteen minutes to meet me in the gymnasium. Please change into the appropriate attire. You will find what you need in your individual cabinets."  
  
Samantha prepared to leave and was almost out the door before she stopped and deliberately looked at Malfoy. "And Draco," she began softly. "If you are ever late again, I *will* make you regret it." Her tone of voice sent a cold shiver down Harry's spine.  
  
***  
  
A/N: Please, please, please review! There is more to come.  
  
Thank you to Lady FoxFire who provided me with my one and only review. I do appreciate it. 


End file.
